Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed October 31, to deliver a ruling as well as judgment in a suit seeking the sack of the Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr Chiedu Ebie, over an alleged wrongful appointment.
Justice Abdulmalik fixed the date for both ruling and judgment on Tuesday, shortly after parties in the suit adopted their written addresses as their arguments for and against the originating summons.
Some Niger Delta communities had sued President Bola Tinubu, for allegedly violating the NDDC’s Act by appointing Ebie as NDDC.
The plaintiffs from Bayelsa and Delta States communities had told the court that Ebie was not qualified to occupy the seat of Board Chairman having not come from, “the oil-producing area with the highest quantum of oil production”.
Those who filed the suit include; Chief Goodnews Gereghewei, Chief Eddy Brayei and Mr Jonah Engineyouwei.
They sued on behalf of themselves and Bisangbene, Agge and Amatu1 communities in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
President Tinubu, Senate President, Attorney-General of the Federation, NDDC and Ebie are 1st to 5th respondents respectively.
Meanwhile, Jerry Mulade-Aroh representing Gbaramatu Kingdom, Mr Jolomi Itsekure, representing Itsekiri Oil and Gas producing communities and Friday Ugedi, representing Egbema Kingdom all in Delta also sought to be joined as plaintiffs in the suit.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, plaintiffs through their lawyer Mr Egberipou Sotonye Barakemi, urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objection filed by President Tinubu and the AGF, adding that the court should dismiss the entire case of all the respondents for lacking in merit.
Credit: dailypost.ng
